The Next Level In Gaming

Other than the Grand Theft Auto series, there really isn’t any game out there that has covered sky diving. So when Sky Dive: Proximity Flight came dive bombing onto PSN it took quite a few gamers by surprise. Surely a game that solely focuses on Skydiving can’t keep any gamers attention for long?

The idea behind Skydive is a simple one. You control a skydiver as he/she plummets off of the side of a cliff or strategically placed hot air balloon. Whilst in flight you use the PS3 Six-Axis to navigate the diver through a series of gates, before you have to let their parachute loose and land. If you find yourself losing speed you have an adrenaline meter available. Adrenaline gives you an extra boost in speed for a limited time, which is always handy should you find yourself slowing down prematurely. The premise of Skydive sounds easy enough, but as the levels get progressively harder and more obstacles get in your way you may well find yourself getting absorbed.

It’s not all about navigating your wing suited self through a series of gates, as both Race and Free Style modes are available as well. Race mode pits you against three other base jumpers as you glide your way through cliffs to the finish line and Free Style does pretty much as it says on the tin, you pick the location and you are free to glide around all you want. Whilst the main campaign mode and the race mode feel pretty solid, free style feels a little bit bare as there are no objectives to complete and so all you are really doing is falling.

Skydive does have a pretty big roster of characters. You can choose from professional base jumpers, hard core adrenaline junkies, a crazy girl in a squirrel onesie and even Dracula. Each character has their own attributes meaning that each character handles differently. There are even characters for you to unlock as you progress through the game which gives you that extra push to complete a level.

Graphically the game looks really good. The panoramic views you get whilst gliding through cliff tops are a pleasure to look at, and you can really tell that the developers have taken their time when it comes to the look of the game. Just make sure you don’t get too distracted by the great views, otherwise you may find yourself colliding face first with a cliff face.

Pros

+ Good Visuals

+ Good Use of PS3 Six-Axis

+ Solid roster of characters

Cons

- Free Style mode seems a bit bare

- There isn’t much variety when it comes to Sky Diving

70 / 100

All in all Sky Dive: Proximity Flight is a great downloadable game. Not many games out there focus on the PS3’s Six-Axis so is a nice break from the norm, and with it’s great views and large collection of characters to choose from it is a solid title that can easily kill a few hours.